Club Atletico River Plate Puerto Rico
Encyclopedia
Club Atlético River Plate Puerto Rico is a Puerto Rican professional association football team based in Fajardo
, Puerto Rico
. Founded in 2007, the team plays in the Puerto Rico Soccer League
, and is the reigning Supercopa DirecTV champion.
The team plays its home games at Roberto Clemente Stadium
in nearby Carolina
. The club's colors are red, white and black. Their current head coach is Argentine Walter Zermatten
.
signed an affiliation document with the club. The event was led by the group's founder, Steven Alvarez. After several meetings, the group organized an in-door football team along with the team from a neighboring town Academia Quintana
, finishing in the fourth place of an invitational tournament held in Bayamon which marked its debut.
In August 2004, Club Atlético River Plate Corp registered in Puerto Rico's Department of State, founding its first office in Carolina, Puerto Rico
. Between 2005 and 2006, Club Atlético River Plate had several meetings with the Federación Puertorriqueña de Futbol, seeking authorization to establish the first franchise team in Puerto Rico. The federation's president, Joe Serralta, signed a contract with them agreeing to license Club Atlético River Plate Puerto Rico, which was consequently founded on January 1, 2007.
Seeking exposition, the team reached an agreement with professional boxer Miguel Cotto
, who wore the club's colors in several of his world championship contests. The team's directive underwent several integrations, including Erick Rodríguez as First Vice-President, Kenneth Cintrón as Second Vice-President and Alvaro Nazor as vocal. In 2006, the team's secretary, Eduardo Fabrizi, decided to include Club Atlético River Plate Puerto Rico in the Liga Premier de Fútbol marking its debut. Rubén Muñoz coached a lineup that included Walter Fabian Zermatten, Leonel Pipa Ganzedo and Martin Gómez, winning its first championship before 3,000 followers. Its defender, Marcelo Roca, was selected the 2007 Premier League Most Valuable Player. While seeking for a definitive home stadium, Fabrizi visited Ponce, choosing it over the other municipalities. He subsequently had meeting with Ponce's incumbent mayor, Francisco Zayas Seijo, reaching an agreement to play there.
Some reports indicated that in 2009 the team would follow the Puerto Rico Islanders
and join the USL First Division
. However, River Plate's directive decided to become a founding member of the Puerto Rico Soccer League
, the first nationwide league on the archipelago, which was officially founded in 2008. For its first season in the new league, River Plate brought in several international players, including footballers from Argentina, Colombia and El Salvador.
, one goal to none. River Plate tied with Guaynabo Fluminense FC
in their third outing. In their fourth game, River Plate defeated Gigantes de Carolina
, three goals to one. On the fifth date of the tournament the team defeated Caguas Huracán
. On August 10, 2008, River Plate defeated Tornados de Humacao
. This marked the end of the league's first half, the teams would then compete against each other a second time. In the first two games of this stage, River Plate defeated Academia Quintana and Atléticos de San Juan. To close the regular season, the team won 1, lost 1 and tied 3 games.
River Plate Puerto Rico won its first game of the 2009 season against Huracán, with a score of 5:1. River Plate have yet to lose in the 2009 Season as they are 10-0-1 with 31 points. On July 25, 2009, the team tied with Bayamón FC
, 0:0. They finished the regular season with a record of 14-0-2, winning the league's standing. The last game against Sevilla FC ended in a 2:2 draw. With 5 minutes left in the match and down 2:0, Daniel Jiménez scored a goal for River Plate, the team scored again 3 minutes later to finish the year undefeated. In the semifinals, River plate lost its only game of the season to Atlético.
is a unique CFU qualifier tournament that replaced the regular season of the PRSL in 2010. River Plate Puerto Rico was the first team to advance to the semifinals, clinching the first place of Group A. After defeating Sevilla Juncos in the Semifinals, River Plate Puerto Rico went on to win the Super Copa DirecTV after defeating the Puerto Rico Islanders on a 3-0 final score on aggregate after Home and Away games held at the Juan Ramon Loubriel stadium in Bayamon. Both teams qualified directly to the CFU Championship Tournament for the 2011 edition.
River Plate was placed in the same group as Racing des Gonaives
, C.S.D. Barber
, and Hubentut Fortuna. In the 1st match they defeated Racing 3:1. The team defeated Hubentut Fortuna 5:1 in the second date. To close the group's first round they defeated C.S.B. Barber 4:0. River Plate finished at the top of their group and advanced to the second round along San Juan Jabloteh
.
River's original home was in Ponce, and for its first three seasons the team played at Francisco Montaner Stadium
. For the 2011 season the team was originally supposed to play in the city of San Juan
at Estadio Sixto Escobar
, but because of lack of agreement with the city of San Juan, the team agreed to move to Fajardo instead. While the city prepares to build a stadium for the team, River signed a short term agreement to play their 2011 home games at Roberto Clemente Stadium
in nearby Carolina
.
- Chairman Erick Rodríguez - Vice President Walter Zermatten
- Head Coach Steven Álvarez
- Club Treasurer Eduardo Fabrizi - Club Secretary
(Head Coach from 2010-present) Omar Catalan (Assisant Coach from 2010-present)
Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Fajardo is a small city in Puerto Rico located in the east region of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Ceiba and east of Luquillo.Fajardo is spread over 7 wards and Downtown Fajardo , which serves as the administrative center of the city...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. Founded in 2007, the team plays in the Puerto Rico Soccer League
Puerto Rico Soccer League
The Puerto Rico Soccer League or PRSL is an association football league in Puerto Rico. It is the first unified football league in the island's history, and had a total of six teams for the 2011 season. Association football has been growing in popularity in recent years, and this is an attempt to...
, and is the reigning Supercopa DirecTV champion.
The team plays its home games at Roberto Clemente Stadium
Roberto Clemente Stadium
Roberto Clemente Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico. It is currently used mostly for baseball games and is the home of Gigantes de Carolina. The stadium holds 12,500 people and was built in 2000...
in nearby Carolina
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Carolina is a city located in the northern part of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it lies north of Gurabo and Juncos; east of Trujillo Alto and San Juan; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 wards plus Carolina Pueblo...
. The club's colors are red, white and black. Their current head coach is Argentine Walter Zermatten
Walter Zermatten
Walter Fabián Zermatten is an Argentine footballer who coaches the River Plate PR in the Puerto Rico Soccer League. He is married and is the father of two. As a player he made his professional debut at the age of 21...
.
History
On June 27, 2004, a group of 31 fans of Club Atlético River PlateClub Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....
signed an affiliation document with the club. The event was led by the group's founder, Steven Alvarez. After several meetings, the group organized an in-door football team along with the team from a neighboring town Academia Quintana
Academia Quintana
Academia Quintana F.C. are an Association Football club from San Juan, Puerto Rico. They were founded in 1969, making them one of the oldest clubs still in existence in Puerto Rico. They are one of the founding members of the Puerto Rico Soccer League, the island's first nationwide league. The...
, finishing in the fourth place of an invitational tournament held in Bayamon which marked its debut.
In August 2004, Club Atlético River Plate Corp registered in Puerto Rico's Department of State, founding its first office in Carolina, Puerto Rico
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Carolina is a city located in the northern part of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it lies north of Gurabo and Juncos; east of Trujillo Alto and San Juan; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 wards plus Carolina Pueblo...
. Between 2005 and 2006, Club Atlético River Plate had several meetings with the Federación Puertorriqueña de Futbol, seeking authorization to establish the first franchise team in Puerto Rico. The federation's president, Joe Serralta, signed a contract with them agreeing to license Club Atlético River Plate Puerto Rico, which was consequently founded on January 1, 2007.
Seeking exposition, the team reached an agreement with professional boxer Miguel Cotto
Miguel Cotto
Miguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez is a Puerto Rican professional boxer and the reigning WBA light middleweight champion. He is the younger brother of contender Jose Miguel Cotto and cousin of Abner Cotto...
, who wore the club's colors in several of his world championship contests. The team's directive underwent several integrations, including Erick Rodríguez as First Vice-President, Kenneth Cintrón as Second Vice-President and Alvaro Nazor as vocal. In 2006, the team's secretary, Eduardo Fabrizi, decided to include Club Atlético River Plate Puerto Rico in the Liga Premier de Fútbol marking its debut. Rubén Muñoz coached a lineup that included Walter Fabian Zermatten, Leonel Pipa Ganzedo and Martin Gómez, winning its first championship before 3,000 followers. Its defender, Marcelo Roca, was selected the 2007 Premier League Most Valuable Player. While seeking for a definitive home stadium, Fabrizi visited Ponce, choosing it over the other municipalities. He subsequently had meeting with Ponce's incumbent mayor, Francisco Zayas Seijo, reaching an agreement to play there.
Some reports indicated that in 2009 the team would follow the Puerto Rico Islanders
Puerto Rico Islanders
Puerto Rico Islanders is a Puerto Rican professional football team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2003, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid....
and join the USL First Division
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
. However, River Plate's directive decided to become a founding member of the Puerto Rico Soccer League
Puerto Rico Soccer League
The Puerto Rico Soccer League or PRSL is an association football league in Puerto Rico. It is the first unified football league in the island's history, and had a total of six teams for the 2011 season. Association football has been growing in popularity in recent years, and this is an attempt to...
, the first nationwide league on the archipelago, which was officially founded in 2008. For its first season in the new league, River Plate brought in several international players, including footballers from Argentina, Colombia and El Salvador.
Puerto Rico Soccer League
On June 28, 2008, River Plate Puerto Rico played against Atlético de San Juan FC in the league's first official game, winning the game 2:0 with goals by Daniel Gómez and Harry Irizarry. In its second game the team lost to Sevilla FCSevilla FC (Puerto Rico)
Sevilla FC Puerto Rico is a Puerto Rican professional association football team based in Juncos, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2006, the team plays in the The team competes in the Puerto Rico Soccer League....
, one goal to none. River Plate tied with Guaynabo Fluminense FC
Guaynabo Fluminense FC
Guaynabo Fluminense Futbol Club are an Association Football club from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. The team was a founding member of the Puerto Rico Soccer League. The club is affiliated with Fluminense Football Club, a leading team from Brazil...
in their third outing. In their fourth game, River Plate defeated Gigantes de Carolina
Gigantes de Carolina (football club)
Carolina Giants are a association football club from Carolina, Puerto Rico. They were formed in 2008 as the football branch of the existing baseball side Gigantes de Carolina. They are founding members of the Puerto Rico Soccer League, the first nationwide football league on the island...
, three goals to one. On the fifth date of the tournament the team defeated Caguas Huracán
Caguas Huracán
Huracán Fútbol Club is a Puerto Rican football club from Caguas, who currently play in the Puerto Rico Soccer League.-History:The team was originally established in 1991...
. On August 10, 2008, River Plate defeated Tornados de Humacao
Tornados de Humacao
Tornados de Humacao is a Puerto Rican football club based in Humacao, which currently plays in the Puerto Rico Soccer League. It is affiliated to C.F...
. This marked the end of the league's first half, the teams would then compete against each other a second time. In the first two games of this stage, River Plate defeated Academia Quintana and Atléticos de San Juan. To close the regular season, the team won 1, lost 1 and tied 3 games.
River Plate Puerto Rico won its first game of the 2009 season against Huracán, with a score of 5:1. River Plate have yet to lose in the 2009 Season as they are 10-0-1 with 31 points. On July 25, 2009, the team tied with Bayamón FC
Bayamon FC
Bayamón FC is a football team that joined the Puerto Rico Soccer League for the 2009 season. The team plays in Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. The team did not participate in the Puerto Rico Soccer League for the 2010 and 2011 seasons due to the league's instability...
, 0:0. They finished the regular season with a record of 14-0-2, winning the league's standing. The last game against Sevilla FC ended in a 2:2 draw. With 5 minutes left in the match and down 2:0, Daniel Jiménez scored a goal for River Plate, the team scored again 3 minutes later to finish the year undefeated. In the semifinals, River plate lost its only game of the season to Atlético.
Supercopa DirecTV 2010
The Supercopa DirecTVSupercopa DirecTV 2010
The 2010 Puerto Rico Soccer League season was a one-off competition that served as a qualifying tournament for Puerto Rican teams to the 2011 CFU Club Championship...
is a unique CFU qualifier tournament that replaced the regular season of the PRSL in 2010. River Plate Puerto Rico was the first team to advance to the semifinals, clinching the first place of Group A. After defeating Sevilla Juncos in the Semifinals, River Plate Puerto Rico went on to win the Super Copa DirecTV after defeating the Puerto Rico Islanders on a 3-0 final score on aggregate after Home and Away games held at the Juan Ramon Loubriel stadium in Bayamon. Both teams qualified directly to the CFU Championship Tournament for the 2011 edition.
International performance
In the First Round of the 2010 CFU Club Championship2010 CFU Club Championship
--------- Group B :All matches hosted in Puerto Rico. Officially, Bayamón played as visitor in the first leg.----- Group C :All matches hosted in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.--------- Group D :All matches hosted in Guyana....
River Plate was placed in the same group as Racing des Gonaives
Racing FC (Gônaïves)
Racing des Gonaïves is a Haitian football club located in Gônaïves, Haiti.-Performance in CONCACAF competitions:*CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 3 appearances-Notable players:* Ben Cius* Jean Julien Fresnel* Jean Jacqueson* Chéry Olsen* Jackson Pierre...
, C.S.D. Barber
Centro Social Deportivo Barber
SV Centro Social Deportivo Barber is a Curaçao football team playing at the top level.-Achievements:*Netherlands Antilles Championship: 8*Curaçao League: 5*Sekshon Amatur: 1-Performance in CONCACAF competitions:...
, and Hubentut Fortuna. In the 1st match they defeated Racing 3:1. The team defeated Hubentut Fortuna 5:1 in the second date. To close the group's first round they defeated C.S.B. Barber 4:0. River Plate finished at the top of their group and advanced to the second round along San Juan Jabloteh
San Juan Jabloteh
San Juan Jabloteh is a football club located in San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago that currently plays in the country's Pro League. The team plays its home games in Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad.- History :...
.
Stadium
- Francisco Montaner StadiumFrancisco Montaner StadiumThe Estadio Francisco Montaner is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is home to the Leones de Ponce team of the Puerto Rico Baseball League and FC Leones of the Puerto Rico Soccer League . The stadium has a capacity of 16,000 seats...
; Ponce, Puerto RicoPonce, Puerto RicoPonce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
(2008-2010) - Roberto Clemente StadiumRoberto Clemente StadiumRoberto Clemente Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico. It is currently used mostly for baseball games and is the home of Gigantes de Carolina. The stadium holds 12,500 people and was built in 2000...
; Carolina, Puerto RicoCarolina, Puerto RicoCarolina is a city located in the northern part of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it lies north of Gurabo and Juncos; east of Trujillo Alto and San Juan; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 wards plus Carolina Pueblo...
(2011-present)
River's original home was in Ponce, and for its first three seasons the team played at Francisco Montaner Stadium
Francisco Montaner Stadium
The Estadio Francisco Montaner is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is home to the Leones de Ponce team of the Puerto Rico Baseball League and FC Leones of the Puerto Rico Soccer League . The stadium has a capacity of 16,000 seats...
. For the 2011 season the team was originally supposed to play in the city of San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
at Estadio Sixto Escobar
Estadio Sixto Escobar
Estadio Sixto Escobar is a multi-purpose stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is currently used mostly for soccer matches.The stadium was opened on November 12, 1935. The Cincinnati Reds conducted spring training at the stadium in 1936. The Miami Marlins were transferred to San Juan for the 1961...
, but because of lack of agreement with the city of San Juan, the team agreed to move to Fajardo instead. While the city prepares to build a stadium for the team, River signed a short term agreement to play their 2011 home games at Roberto Clemente Stadium
Roberto Clemente Stadium
Roberto Clemente Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico. It is currently used mostly for baseball games and is the home of Gigantes de Carolina. The stadium holds 12,500 people and was built in 2000...
in nearby Carolina
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Carolina is a city located in the northern part of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it lies north of Gurabo and Juncos; east of Trujillo Alto and San Juan; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 wards plus Carolina Pueblo...
.
Current roster
As of May 7, 2011Staff
Steven ÁlvarezSteven Alvarez
Steven Alvarez is a Mescalero Apache composer, percussionist, and film and stage producer. He is a member of the intertribal band Medicine Dream as well as Taagi, Three Sides, a Native classical trio with cellist Dawn Avery and violinist Tara-Louise Montour...
- Chairman Erick Rodríguez - Vice President Walter Zermatten
Walter Zermatten
Walter Fabián Zermatten is an Argentine footballer who coaches the River Plate PR in the Puerto Rico Soccer League. He is married and is the father of two. As a player he made his professional debut at the age of 21...
- Head Coach Steven Álvarez
Steven Alvarez
Steven Alvarez is a Mescalero Apache composer, percussionist, and film and stage producer. He is a member of the intertribal band Medicine Dream as well as Taagi, Three Sides, a Native classical trio with cellist Dawn Avery and violinist Tara-Louise Montour...
- Club Treasurer Eduardo Fabrizi - Club Secretary
Head coaches
Walter ZermattenWalter Zermatten
Walter Fabián Zermatten is an Argentine footballer who coaches the River Plate PR in the Puerto Rico Soccer League. He is married and is the father of two. As a player he made his professional debut at the age of 21...
(Head Coach from 2010-present) Omar Catalan (Assisant Coach from 2010-present)
Achievements
- Puerto Rico Soccer LeaguePuerto Rico Soccer LeagueThe Puerto Rico Soccer League or PRSL is an association football league in Puerto Rico. It is the first unified football league in the island's history, and had a total of six teams for the 2011 season. Association football has been growing in popularity in recent years, and this is an attempt to...
:
-
- Supercopa DirecTV ChampionSupercopa DirecTV 2010The 2010 Puerto Rico Soccer League season was a one-off competition that served as a qualifying tournament for Puerto Rican teams to the 2011 CFU Club Championship...
: 2010 - League Champions (1)Puerto Rico Soccer League Regular Season CupThe Puerto Rico Soccer League Regular Season Cup, first played in 2008, is an annual league competition for Puerto Rico Soccer League. The top four teams advance to the PlayOff cup.-Puerto Rico Soccer League Regular Season Champions by Season:...
: 2009 - Runner-up (1)Puerto Rico Soccer League PlayOff CupThe PRSL PlayOffs Cup is the annual championship tournament of the Puerto Rico Soccer League.. The winner gets an automatic bid to CFU Club Championship.-Puerto Rico Soccer League Playoff Champions by Season:- 2008 Puerto Rico Soccer League Playoffs :...
: 2008- Copa Monteplata: (1)::2009
- Liga Premier: 1::2007*
- Supercopa DirecTV Champion
Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | PRSL | 2nd | Runner-up | N/A | |
| 2009 | PRSL | Champions | Semi-Finals | N/A | |
| 2010 | PRSL | 1st, Group A | Champions | N/A | |
| 2011 | 3 | USL PRO |